silverscreen888 Review of Beau Geste

Beau Geste (1966)

Strong Adventure; Solid Production; Unusually Well-Acted

[7/10 · 19 July 2005]

The 1939 B/W version of "Beau Geste" retained from the meandering novel by Percial Christopher Wren all the childhood scenes that set up the later activities of the four children involved vis a vis a jewel theft, plus the departure of several, and their later adventures in the French Foreign Legion. Here, that portion has been omitted. This makes it difficult to compare the fast-paced and well-acted color version about two brothers who join the Foreign Legion with its earlier and more-pretentious counterpart. This is a film not about characters in a noir situation as the earlier version was, but more about characters under stress. Its theme is "do what you have promised, whatever it takes." Here any man who has some self-control or who is honest, gets respect even if he lacks several other qualities. Or in the case of Sergeant Major D'Agineau, he is a sadistic monster but a damned good soldier. The story introduces brother Beau, played quite straightforwardly by Guy Stockwell as a new man in the Legion, one who is rapidly accepted as a natural leader by the hard-bitten others. he stands up to the Sergeant-M ajor and is whipped for it. When his brother is posted to the group too, he proves to be a nice guy but no leader. The alcoholic Captain likes beau, played here by Leslie Nielsen in near-award-level style a few notches too-quiet; but the Sergeant-Major, powerfully brought to the screen by Telly Savalas does not. Others in the cast include David Mauro as a sexually ambiguous sycophant, strong Leo Gordon, intelligent Robert Wolders, fine actors Malachi Throne, Joe de Santis and Michael Constantine, X. Brands, Michael Carr and George Keymas. Douglas Heyes wrote the sturdy screenplay and also directed, and very well indeed. There is a fine march by Hans Hopper and music by Hans J. Salter, lucid cinematography by Bud Thackery, notable art direction by veterans Alexander Golitzen and Henry Bumstead, set decorations by John McCarthy Jr. and James Redd and fine costumes by expert Rosemary O'Dell. The story-line, as with the original novel involves a jewel theft that caused the brothers to disappear, but that is where the resemblance ends. There is no third brother, and an entirely different "beau geste'--or beautiful, meaningless gesture, which is what beau performed by disappearing to take the blame for someone else. The ending, contrary to what a few have said, is well-prepared for; when D'Agineau dies--since the brothers have talked about a Viking funeral, which they used to do in their youth, throughout the film--the survivor Beau gives such a funeral to his brother, with the Sergeant-Major as the obligatory 'dog'. This is a very powerful and physical film, that stands comparison with Phil Karlson's and Sidney Lumet's best. A true "B" color adventure standout when it was released, and now.